https://www.scmp.com/rss/522558/feed UOB: A leading Singapore-headquartered financial institution, UOB operates extensively across Asia, with over 500 offices in 19 countries, particularly strong in Southeast Asia. It provides comprehensive retail, wholesale, and global markets banking services, plus asset management. Serving individuals, SMEs, and multinational corporations, UOB focuses on regional connectivity and digital innovation. Recognised as a top-rated bank and the Best SME Bank in the World, UOB actively supports regional... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang China’s yuan is gaining traction as a go-to fundraising currency for companies expanding overseas, bolstered by favourable conditions, including a larger central-bank quota that offers cheaper, stable funding in Hong Kong, according to market participants. The mainland currency’s renewed momentum comes amid its recent appreciation, a broader shift away from US assets and the decision by Beijing and Hong Kong authorities to double the RMB Business Facility (RBF) to 200 billion yuan (US$28.8... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3341981/yuan-finds-footing-corporate-finance-bolstering-beijings-internationalisation-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3341981/yuan-finds-footing-corporate-finance-bolstering-beijings-internationalisation-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Nearly three-quarters of enterprises from Hong Kong and other Greater Bay Area cities will speed up their expansion into the Asean market as a primary strategy to mitigate risks from international trade frictions and shifting global supply chains, according to a survey. The survey and research findings, co-published by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Singapore-based United Overseas Bank on Wednesday, also revealed that about 98 per cent of enterprises were planning to keep or expand... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3339898/73-hong-kong-greater-bay-area-firms-speeding-expansion-asean-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3339898/73-hong-kong-greater-bay-area-firms-speeding-expansion-asean-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 11:07:01 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Melody Liu had been in Singapore for just three days when she blew past her 5,000 yuan (HK$5,450) travel budget – and reached for her long-sleeved hooded shirt with attached visor to brave another day in the sweltering heat. “I was so shocked when a 10-minute taxi ride cost more than 100 yuan, because it would cost less than 20 yuan back home,” said the 32-year-old from Harbin in China’s northeast. “I knew that Singapore has a high cost of living, but it’s a different matter to experience... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3331981/chinese-tourists-flock-singapore-da-ka-moments-despite-high-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3331981/chinese-tourists-flock-singapore-da-ka-moments-despite-high-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Swathes of Asia’s financial systems are vulnerable to potential disruption from quantum computing technology, including those hosting secure transactions, industry executives have warned. Only a handful of major economies in the region, such as China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, have embarked on strategies to safeguard their systems, but most financial institutions across the region are vulnerable to quantum attacks because they are ill prepared, experts say. The threat looms even as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3330673/quantum-computing-threat-looms-over-asias-financial-systems-we-are-not-secure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3330673/quantum-computing-threat-looms-over-asias-financial-systems-we-are-not-secure?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 02:08:11 +0000 Zuraidah Ibrahim,Jean Iau Zuraidah Ibrahim,Jean Iau Wee Ee Cheong leans back in his chair in the boardroom of UOB Plaza and behind him a deep green bonsai peeks into view from a shelf, poised like it is meant to be part of the conversation. Wee’s minders had told us not to be surprised if he talks about his beloved plants. It is his hobby, after all. A lush bonsai graces the cover of the bank’s annual report for its 90th anniversary, a nod to the enduring roots of Singapore’s only remaining family-controlled bank. But he shows little interest in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3330248/how-uobs-wee-ee-cheong-planting-seeds-next-90-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3330248/how-uobs-wee-ee-cheong-planting-seeds-next-90-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 00:00:16 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Every month, Rachel Tan, a 53-year-old Singaporean tutor, boards a bus across the 1km (0.6 mile) causeway for a day trip to Malaysia’s Johor state, where she stocks up on groceries and treats herself to lunch and a film. Thanks to streamlined immigration procedures, she rarely needs to present her passport, using a QR code to pass the checkpoint before catching a complimentary shuttle bus that whisks her to R&F Mall. The entire day out, including shopping, typically costs her about 300 ringgit... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3329452/why-singaporeans-are-flocking-malaysias-johor-food-and-leisure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3329452/why-singaporeans-are-flocking-malaysias-johor-food-and-leisure?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Business leaders have called for deeper economic integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for the bloc to enjoy seamless trade and travel between member states, and fully tap its potential as a region with a young growing middle class. Speakers at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2025 on Tuesday stressed that Asean, while having to overcome challenges stemming from diversity among its 10 members, was an attractive hub with investment opportunities. Wang Shuguang, president and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3324925/business-leaders-push-stronger-asean-ties-tap-regions-potential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3324925/business-leaders-push-stronger-asean-ties-tap-regions-potential?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:17:10 +0000 Morning Studio editors Morning Studio editors For UOB Venture Management (UOBVM), impact investing has always been about more than financial gains. As Seah Kian Wee, CEO of UOBVM, explains: “Impact investing means doing well while doing good.” That philosophy is rooted in intentionality, measurability and scalability, and is what has guided UOBVM’s Asia Impact Investment Funds since their launch back in 2015. As the private equity arm of UOB Group, UOBVM manages more than S$2 billion (US$1.6 billion) in active funds, which include impact... https://www.scmp.com/native/business/topics/reimagining-asean-future/article/3321079/uob-venture-management-and-ruangguru-prove-how-impact-investing-pays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/business/topics/reimagining-asean-future/article/3321079/uob-venture-management-and-ruangguru-prove-how-impact-investing-pays?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 03:00:08 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau The potential of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) could be enhanced by leveraging on the pull of an Indonesian island grouping, according to Singapore’s Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong. The JS-SEZ was officially launched in January, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong agreeing to develop various industries, including aerospace, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and electronics in the 3,571 sq km (1,379 square mile)... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3316791/singapore-malaysia-eye-indonesia-expanded-special-economic-zone-trade-minister-gan-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3316791/singapore-malaysia-eye-indonesia-expanded-special-economic-zone-trade-minister-gan-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:40:03 +0000